Urusei Yatsura

Urusei Yatsura - Movie 2 - Beautiful Dreamer (Collector's Series)

Originally released in 1984, the second Urusei Yatsura feature offers characters created by Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2) and a screenplay and direction by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell). As the perpetually lecherous Ataru and his friends prepare for a carnival at Tomobiki High School, they gradually realize the days are literally repeating themselves. Any effort to break the pattern dumps them back where they started. They later discover their town has been reduced to a circle of land a few miles across, poised on the back of a gigantic sea turtle--a reference to "Urushima Taro," a Japanese Rip Van Winkle story. Takahashi and Oshii weave elements from other Japanese folk tales into their science fiction adventure. Although she's described as an alien princess, Lum has many of the attributes of an oni (demon), including horns, the ability to fly, and a tiger-skin costume (although hers is a bikini). The character designs reflect an interesting moment in animation history, when the influence of Western TV shows was giving way to the familiar anime style. Lum has large eyes and long viridian green tresses, but Ataru and his pals sport more Caucasian-looking hair and features. Unfortunately, the good-natured story runs out of steam after about an hour, and the film falters to a conclusion in an annoying series of false endings. Unrated; suitable for ages 12 and up: minor nudity, profanity, and cartoon violence. --Charles Solomon

Urusei Yatsura, TV Series 1 (Episodes 1-4)

This disc offers the first four installments of the 195-episode TV series based on Rumiko Takahashi's popular manga series, Urusei Yatsura ("Those Obnoxious Aliens"). In Japanese mythology, oni are hideous demons; Takahashi turns them into aliens. To save the Earth, high school lecher and nerd Ataru Moroboshi is pitted against the lovely, curvaceous Lum in a game of tag. When he wins, Lum believes he's proposed and moves in with his long-suffering parents. Shinobu, Ataru's girlfriend, objects and a skewed romantic triangle develops. Lum's friends and relatives begin arriving and complicating life further: cute little Ten breathes fire; staggeringly handsome Rei transforms into a tiger-monster. No wonder the neighbors want to run the Moroboshi family out of town. This slapstick comedy-romance anticipates Takahashi's Ranma 1/2, but Ataru, who has virtually no redeeming qualities, is less likable than Ranma. Unrated; suitable for ages 12 and up: Risqué humor and brief nudity. --Charles Solomon

Urusei Yatsura - Movie 2 - Beautiful Dreamer

Originally released in 1984, the second Urusei Yatsura feature offers characters created by Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2) and a screenplay and direction by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell). As the perpetually lecherous Ataru and his friends prepare for a carnival at Tomobiki High School, they gradually realize the days are literally repeating themselves. Any effort to break the pattern dumps them back where they started. They later discover their town has been reduced to a circle of land a few miles across, poised on the back of a gigantic sea turtle--a reference to "Urushima Taro," a Japanese Rip Van Winkle story. Takahashi and Oshii weave elements from other Japanese folk tales into their science fiction adventure. Although she's described as an alien princess, Lum has many of the attributes of an oni (demon), including horns, the ability to fly, and a tiger-skin costume (although hers is a bikini). The character designs reflect an interesting moment in animation history, when the influence of Western TV shows was giving way to the familiar anime style. Lum has large eyes and long viridian green tresses, but Ataru and his pals sport more Caucasian-looking hair and features. Unfortunately, the good-natured story runs out of steam after about an hour, and the film falters to a conclusion in an annoying series of false endings. Unrated; suitable for ages 12 and up: minor nudity, profanity, and cartoon violence. --Charles Solomon

Urusei Yatsura, TV Series 7 (Episodes 25-28)

Urusei Yatsura TV, Vol. 31

In volume 31 of the show that has more uses than the peanut, Sakura loses her wand and Cherry loses a drunken demon in "Exercise: Exorcise! Beautiful Sakura." A pool cleaning turns into a science experiment of biblical proportions in "Revenge Of The Protozoa: Poolside Rampage!" That space queen returns to look for love in all the wrong places in "Princess Kurama: Love Hunter." And a shape-shifting fox comes to town to repay the debt of an old friend in "The Fox's Lonely Unrequited Love."